It is well known to sell drinks such as wine in a disposable pouch-in-box package. In such packages, the pouch is provided with an integrated valve system arranged to control the dispensing of the product from the pouch. The valve system is disposable with the box when the pouch is emptied. Typically, a full pouch contains from 5 to 10 liters of the product. The box gives support to the pouch. Such valve systems are generally expensive. The pouch-in-box type of package is usually only used for acid products due to its short shelflife once the pouch has been opened.
Aseptic packing is a well-known technique used to prolong the shelf life of food or drink products. Fundamentally, the principle of the aseptic packing technique is based on filling and sealing the product in packages under sterile or bacteria-free conditions, in order to create the best possible circumstances for transportation and storage of the product e.g. without need for cold storage. For the shelf life to be as long as possible, both the product and the packing material are sterilized and the filling of the product in the package is under conditions avoiding re-infection of the product.
The aseptic packing technique is e.g. used for packing of liquid food or drinks in pouches when a prolonged shelf life is desired. In a dispenser system, for convenient dispensing of the product, the pouch is provided with a port adapted for receiving a dispensing device such as an opening/closing mechanism or simply a dispensing tube.
In a dispensing system the attachment of a dispensing device to the port of a pouch is a suitable way to assist in emptying the liquid product from the pouch. However, upon attachment of a dispensing device to the pouch the integrity of the pouch is violated and there is a risk that bacteria on the dispensing device may contaminate the content of the pouch and the product passing through it. The risk of contamination is also increased if the product is sucked back into the pouch. This may not have a major influence if the pouch is to be emptied shortly after opening. Also if the product in the pouch e.g. is acid with for example a pH at 4.6 or below it may be stable for a while after breach of the integrity of the package. Acid products are e.g. ketchup, mustard, concentrated fruit juice etc. However, if the pouch contains a non-acidified product, connecting a foreign member to the pouch and product, the life of the product may be considerably lowered due to contamination. An example of a non-acid product is fluid milk or unfrozen ice cream mix.
Current aseptic pouches are filled aseptically, but for dispensing, a dispensing tube with fitment is attached to the pouch at point of use e.g. at a pre-fixed port on the pouch. Such an attachment may contaminate the product in the pouch. If the product is a non-acid it must be maintained under refrigeration to ensure the life of the product.